How to Keep Cats From Scratching Furniture Using Vinegar

cat scratching furniture

Cats are awesome, but they can be a little destructive when it comes to furniture.

It’s not that they mean to be destructive: Cats scratch to sharpen and remove the worn outer covering of their claws, to mark objects in their environment with scents from glands on their paws (they are very clean animals) and for exercise.

However, just knowing this doesn’t help you feel any better when your cat is shredding your new leather couch or making scratches all over your coffee table.

Luckily for us there is an easy solution that will save our furniture and keep our kitty happy: vinegar!

Vinegar is a fantastic way to keep cats off your furniture, and it’s completely safe for both you and your cat. Plus it’s cheap!

After reading this post, you’ll know:

  • How to create a homemade cat deterrent spray using vinegar
  • How to create a homemade cat deterrent spray using other natural ingredients
  • Additional strategies to keep cats away from your furniture (and other places you may not want them, like your newly decorated Christmas tree)
  • Other great ways that cat owners can use vinegar.

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Why Cats Hate the Smell of Vinegar

I remember when I was a kid, my mom would clean out of the coffee maker with vinegar about once every couple months.

And I always knew it was Coffee Pot Cleaning Day the instant I came downstairs for breakfast, because the smell would hit me like a ton of bricks.

It was not a pleasant smell.

Well, guess what? According to Paws Chicago, cats have more than 200 million odor sensors in their noses. (We humans have a measly 5 million.) Their sense of smell is 14 times better than ours is.

So if you or I hate the strong smell of vinegar, imagine how desperate your cat would be to get away from it!

 

How to Stop your Cat From Scratching Furniture With Vinegar

Excited cats suggests this easy solution for a vinegar-based deterrent spray:

  • 8 oz white vinegar
  • 8 oz Liquid Castile soap (a biodegradable plant-based soap made from olive oil and natural ingredients)
  • 8 oz water

Simply combine, add to spray bottle, and shake vigorously.

lemon juice homemade remedy for cat deterrent

More Deterrent Spray Ideas

If you really hate the smell of vinegar yourself, even when it’s diluted, you might want to try this home remedy repellent spray from Feline Answers:

  • 2 cups of water
  • 1 cup citrus peel (i.e. orange, lemon, lime, etc.)
  • 2 teaspoons lemon juice

Mix the ingredients together for either of the solutions listed above in a water bottle and begin spritzing your furniture. Start with an area that your cat seems the most drawn to and dab thoroughly.

Colorglo suggests two more recipes for natural cat repellent:

  • Mix lemon juice, orange juice (cat hate the smell of citris), cranberry juice, and rosemary extract with a bit of water.
  • Mix the juice from a green orange with strong coffee (which cats also hate the smell of).

A few things to keep in mind when using these sprays:

  • Do NOT overspray. Since the scent is so very strong for your cat, a huge amount of it will just make your cat feel miserable in his own home.
  • Whether it’s your own homemade deterrent or a store-bought one, it’s a good idea to test your spray on a small, hidden part of your furniture first to make sure it doesn’t cause any discoloration.

Store-Bought Cat Deterrent Spray

PetSafe SSSCAT Spray Pet Deterrent for Cats and DogsPetSafe SSSCAT Spray Pet Deterrent for Cats and DogsPetSafe SSSCAT Spray Pet Deterrent for Cats and Dogs

 

I found the PetSafe SSSCAT Spray on Amazon, with over 5,600 5-star reviews at the time of this writing.

The coolest thing about this spray is that it contains a motion sensor, so you don’t have to be on guard constantly to catch your cat when he decides to go to town on your favorite couch.

This isn’t like the above homemade sprays, where you apply it to your furniture and then your cats avoid it because they hate the scent.

Instead, this is more of a “Gotcha!” when cats are scratching something that they shouldn’t.

Did you ever try shooting your cat with a water pistol when they go somewhere they shouldn’t?

This is that same concept, without you having to be available to watch them 24 hours a ay.

Simply place SSSCAT Spray Deterrent on a countertop or table. When your cat comes within 3 feet of the spray deterrent, the motion-activated sensor releases a quick burst of odorless and harmless spray.

Each can hold about 80-100 sprays, and you can buy a replacement can when it runs out.

The motion sensor requires 4 AAA batteries to operate, which are not included.

Amazon reviewer Jesse Byahh says that whether or not this spray “works” depends on what you’re using it for:

What it won’t work for: keeping animals out of open areas. They can sprint past it and it won’t register until they’re gone. This spray senses heat more than motion, so the heat of the animal needs to register before it’ll spray.

What it’ll work for: keeping animals away from objects or locations that you don’t want them near. It’ll keep them away from an area you don’t want them to scratch or sit on.

Here’s what we needed it for: We close our bedroom door at night. We always make sure the cats have food and water before bed, so their new little “game” has nothing to do with that. Their new “game” was to jiggle our door handle in the middle of the night until one of us woke up and told them to knock it off. Then they would wait and do it again in an hour. Cats, am I right?! It was all fun and games to them and they were just bored so they wanted to annoy mom and dad (because of course they don’t have enough toys to play with…)

And boy, did it work … We close the door at night, and place this beside our door frame so that it sprays when they’re approaching and getting ready to jiggle the door. It works for us, and it may work for you if you’re needing it for a similar situation…

While there were many people who were happy with this product, there were well over 1,000 people who were not. You can read all the negative 1-star reviews here.

 

Other Ways to Keep Cats from Scratching Furniture

Sofisti-Cat Scratch Deterrent TapeSofisti-Cat Scratch Deterrent TapeSofisti-Cat Scratch Deterrent TapeMS!MAKE SURE Scratching Posts for Indoor CatsMS!MAKE SURE Scratching Posts for Indoor CatsMS!MAKE SURE Scratching Posts for Indoor CatsYMCCOOL 100pcs Cat Nail Caps/TipsYMCCOOL 100pcs Cat Nail Caps/TipsYMCCOOL 100pcs Cat Nail Caps/Tips

 

There are some additional ways you can discourage your cat from clawing up your furniture. (For more in-depth info about each of these strategies, check out my post about alternatives to declawing your cat.)

  • Scratching posts. Our girl cat, Snickers, shreds up our scratching post like crazy. Better that than our couch.

    If you’re concerned about a scratching post being ugly, there are some really nice-looking modern cat condos and cat trees.

    I also discovered (but haven’t tried) this unique cat scratcher that goes right up against the furniture that they love to claw on.

  • Put sticky tape or aluminum foil on your furniture. We tried this strategy years ago and didn’t love it because it was cumbersome and ugly as heck. But there are tapes made just for this purpose that are better than just rolling up packaging tape.
  • Cat claw tips. We also tried this a long time ago and, while it’s cute to see your cat watching around with pink or purple claws, they were constantly falling off and needing to be replaced.

    Still, many people are very happy with them, so it may be worth giving them a try.

apple cider vinegar

More ways for cat owners to use Vinegar

My mother always swore by vinegar being able to clean anything. She used it on toilets, floors, stovetops,

And, of course, Mom was right. Vinegar makes a great cleaner for multiple reasons:

  • It is an anti-bacterial agent, so it eliminates germs and bacteria from your home naturally without harsh chemicals or toxins in commercial cleaners.
  • Vinegar acts as a natural deodorizer because it neutralizes unpleasant odors instead of just masking them with fragrances like many other cleaning products do.
  • Perhaps best of all, vinegar is safe to use on animals (including cats) and humans alike making this super cheap yet effective product perfect for any pet owner’s pantry.

Here are just a few ways cat owner can use vinegar around the house:

  • Add a cup of vinegar to your laundry when washing pet bedding to remove pet odors
  • Dip a rag in vinegar and wipe down your kitty’s empty litter box
  • Rinse food & water bowls with either white or apple cider vinegar.
  • Add some vinegar to your water when you mop the floor. Not only does it do a great job cleaning, but the vinegar deters fleas.
  • To get rid of fleas on your cat, combine equal parts warm water and white vinegar and warm tap water, apply directly onto your pet’s skin, let soak for about 20 minutes, then rinsing off completely with lukewarm water.
  • Dip a few cotton balls into a solution of one cup lukewarm water mixed with two teaspoons of apple cider vinegar to clean your cat’s ears.
  • Keep feral cats (or your cat, if he goes outdoors) from invading your garden by spraying a vinegar solution or laying out vinegar soaked rags. (Coffee grounds and cayenne pepper also work well for this.)

We hope you found our cat scratching remedies helpful. If not, don’t give up! Cats are very particular about what they like and may respond better to one or more of these solutions than another. You can always try a few different methods before deciding on the best solution for your furry friend(s). Good luck!